Sotheby’s Jewelry Sale Brings in Millions

Colored diamonds in green, blue and yellow brought in the big bucks at auction this week in Geneva – but 19th century rubies stole the show.

Sotheby’s “Magnificent Jewels” sale held at the Hotel Beau Rivage in Geneva
on Tuesday, brought in staggering prices on some of the world’s most beautiful
jewels and gems.

Among the appropriately named, ‘magnificent jewels’ were three colored
diamonds that would bring any mortal to their knees:

The largest vivid-green diamond ever to appear at auction (2.52 carats) sold
for a record $3.08 million; a 3.17-carat fancy-intense blue diamond sold for
$2.52 million; and a huge vivid-yellow diamond ring sold for a mere $3.13
million.

But the big money went towards a suite of rubies called the Roxburghe Rubies,
a necklace/earring combination dating back to the late 19th century.
The final price? An auction-topping $5.77 million – five times higher than the
estimate.